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Topic: The Cormier-Magness Route, Whitehorse (Read 3924 times)

This route follows a line between Beginner’s Route and Beginner’s Easy and is a straight shot up to the head wall area before it veers to the right. The protection is generally good. Carry a standard Whitehorse rack to a #2 Camalot. Pitches 1-4 have fixed rappel stations and are set for 60 M ropes. Lead with a 60, anything shorter and you’re hosed.

We had a hoot establishing this line which promises to become a popular. All of the pitches are high quality.

8/31/2012, Paul Cormier and Chris Magness. Ground-up, swapping leads.

1) scramble to the pine tree at the end of the first pitch of Beginner’s Route.

2) “The Wheat Thin Arete” 5.6, 190’. Step right of the tree 10’ and head up toward a bolt. Climb past a horizontal to join a thin flake. Follow the flake to an arête on the right, passing 2 more bolts to a two bolt anchor.

3) “The Cajun Washboard” 5.6, 170’. Straight up off the belay through some bulgy areas passing one bolt to a steeper wall. Move up and right passing 2 more bolts to a two bolt anchor.

4) “The Open Book” 5.6, 200’. Climb a bulge off the belay into an open book. Pass one bolt before reaching the top of the book. Protect and climb rightward through a green licheny area. Climb a short flake and hand crack up to a tree with a blue tat anchor.

5) “The Northwest Passage” 5.5, 60’. Step up and left off the belay into a giant, steep flake. Trend up and slightly right above the flake passing a small tree to a larger tree below a bulge with a horizontal.

6) “The Low Beer Light Pitch” 5.4, 180’. Use the horizontal to clear to clear the bulge. Trend slightly rightward avoiding a dirty water groove to the left. Step back left to a tree belay.

7) “The Platinum Slab” 5.5, 190’. Follow a bulgy groove to an old ¼ bolt bolt and a new 3/8 bolt. Trend up and left passing a faint dike aiming for a white slab and another bolt. Belay at pine tree.

8 ) "The Top Out Pitch" 5.3, 60'. Climb easy rock straight up to the top.

DLottmann

Wow, surprised to hear such quality could be found between those two routes at a fairly consistent grade. I've done Beginner's a dozen or so times and Beginner's Easy only once as I remember it being a bit bushy and non-technical, with the bit of rotten rock near the bottom. Sounds like a great find, and will be jumping on it this week I hope.

Do any of the pitches coincide with Beginner's Easy or is it completely independent? The hand crack on Pitch 4 sounds similar to the one I think is on B. Easy, but I'm not very familiar with B. Easy TBH.

Yes. People have been wandering all over the upper slab for years aiming for the top, which is why we added minimal fixed protection while climbing a line that is relatively safe and actually makes sense. For newer leaders, it'll be hard to get lost or in trouble on this route.

DLottmann

Got on this today with a client and climbed the 1st 4 pitches. The first independent pitch, the "Wheat Thin Arete" is awesome. Thoughtful 5.6, and not just a one move wonder. Protection is well spaced, though there is a hollow moving flake after the last bolt that I wasn't stoked about. Placing a cam behind it moved it half an inch Didn't matter though, it's chill 5.5. after it to the anchor.

Looking down that 1st pitch

The 2nd independent pitch, "Cajun Washboard", super fun as well. Nice moves up to the anchor. SPOILER: The low road is the better road when crossing the mossy area. Here's a pic after Jon had crossed the mossy area and was about to reach the anchor.

The 3rd independent pitch started off great, but after the route cuts right into mossy low angled blah I decided future ascents will probably end at the top of the Cajun Washboard pitch. A fun 360 feet of 5.6 climbing for sure!

I will check out the upper pitches on a day that is crowded. We took advantage of the emptiness to rap and run up Standard to the top in 2 hours for a total 1,600 foot day.

Did the whole route Saturday with Bob Clark; it's a great moderate addition to the cliff. The upper pitches are also on quality rock, and give a different perspective on the Guides Wall, Cathedral and Humphreys than one normally sees--great views and Saturday couldn't have been a better day to just cruise along on high quality granite. We followed Chris Magness and his 2 clients until their lunch stop after the 4th pitch, when they graciously let us "play through".

BTW I too found the loose flake Dave mentioned on the Arete pitch; it provides what looks like a perfect purple camalot slot; I also saw that it moves about half an inch--it would cause nasty problems if you dislodged it, so beware; as Dave implied he did, I also removed my cam and just kept climbing to the next pro--a bit runout but it is a slab, and very moderate!